Microsoft to Acquire Yammer — Microsoft extends cloud services with best-in-class enterprise social networking. — Microsoft Corp. and Yammer Inc. today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Microsoft will acquire Yammer, a leading provider of enterprise social networks, for $1.2 billion in cash.

Dell introduces new XPS 14 and XPS 15 laptops — Naturally, with the added processing power and the inclusion of a disc drive, the XPS 15 gains a little heft over the XPS 14, carrying a thickness of 0.91-inches and a starting weight at 5.79 pounds. It also shaves three hours off …

Kindle Fire 2 may hit as soon as July — Last year, Amazon launched the Kindle Fire in September. The next-generation Kindles are expected to launch a little earlier this year. — (Credit: CNET) — What's next for Kindle hardware? — Well, a credible source has told CNET that Amazon …

On Orbitz, Mac Users Steered to Pricier Hotels — Orbitz Worldwide Inc. has found that people who use Apple Inc.'s Mac computers spend as much as 30% more a night on hotels, so the online travel agency is starting to show them different, and sometimes costlier, travel options than Windows visitors see.

Facebook Names Sheryl Sandberg to Its Board of Directors — Facebook announced today that Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer at Facebook, has joined the company's board of directors. — Sandberg oversees Facebook's business operations including sales, marketing, business development …

Jeff Huber Has The Hardest Job At Google — Let's return to the case of Jeff Huber, Google's senior vice president of Geo and Commerce. — Last week, we published a story headlined: “Depending On Whom You Ask, This Google Exec Is Either ‘Weak’ Or He Just Drew The Short Straw.”

Microsoft: We Won't Build Own Windows Phones — Microsoft exec categorically denies reports that the company plans to bring its Surface tablet strategy to the smartphone market. — A Microsoft executive said the company has no plans to manufacture its own company-branded smartphones …

Nokia 808 PureView review — A CAMERA THAT CAN MAKE PHONE CALLS — OR SOMETHING MORE? — At Mobile World Congress this year, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop cast a wary eye over the catalog of shiny new phones introduced by his competitors and posed the challenge, “which ones will you remember?”

Wi-Fi Alliance begins certifying Passpoint devices — The Wi-Fi Alliance has opened up its certification lab doors and is now inviting vendors to submit their handsets and access points for Hotspot 2.0 certification. If they pass muster, they will receive the Alliance's Passpoint stamp of approval …

Wired and The New Yorker Pull Back on Flipboard — Shelving Efforts to Sell Ads, Curtailing ‘Flip-able’ Content — Some magazines are developing Flipboard fatigue. — Wired and The New Yorker are suspending efforts to sell ads on the platform and replacing their robust Flipboard feeds next month …

Social-Mobile-LOCAL: “Local” Will Be The Biggest Of The Three — While “Social-Mobile-Local” is certainly an overused buzz phrase, most of the attention has been placed on the “social” and “mobile” parts of the phrase. In social, the spectacular rise of Facebook and Twitter is clearly a disruptive and critical trend.

News Corp. Mulls Splitting in Two — News Corp. is considering splitting into two companies, separating its publishing assets from its entertainment businesses, say people familiar with the situation. — The split would carve off News Corp.'s film and television businesses …

eHarmony Password Dump Analysis — Unless you've been hauled up in a bunker, eating MREs and watching Doomsday Preppers marathons, you've likely heard of the recent compromise of over 1.5 million eHarmony password hashes. After a little work tracking down the hashes, we launched several attacks …

How close is Windows 8 to being ‘done’? — Summary: When will Microsoft christen Windows 8 as being “done”? At this point in the game, no one from Microsoft has stated this in any official capacity. — Believe or not, folks, Microsoft execs still have not said when Windows 8 will be “done.”